"Sometimes Buckley said "Roger," or sometimes he said "Takeoff," but when he was most frightened and giddy and waiting for peace he just said "Yes!" And my father would take the thin cotton top sheet and bunch it up in his hands while being careful to keep the two corners between his thumb and forefinger. Then he would snap it out so the pale blue . . . sheet would spread out like a parachute above him."
This is an excerpt from the book .

'The Lovely Bones', by Alice Sebold.

Explanation:

The book, 'The Lovely Bones', was written by Alice Sebold in the year, 2002. The book tells the story of a 14 year old girl named Susie Salmon who was murdered by a man named George Harvey. Harvey built doll houses for children in the city of Norris town, Pennsylvania. While Susie was returning from school,on a fateful day, Harvey enticed her to see some doll houses, and after that he raped, killed, and dismembered Susie. Susie watched from heaven as her family dealt with the lose. Susie's dad suspected Harvey as the killer.

Buckley was the younger brother of Susie Salmon. The excerpt is a description of the times when Susie's dad would want to tuck Buckley into bed. When he asked if he was ready, his response was this: "Sometimes Buckley said "Roger," or sometimes he said "Takeoff," but when he was most frightened and giddy and waiting for peace he just said "Yes!"

i think the answer is d)solicitude sorry if the answer is wrong.

the answer should be

the simple past tense of strive.

hope this !